HOLLLLLAAAAAAA-ND

 

Hey everyone!!!

 

 

First off, sorry you didn't receive an email on Monday! But I do have an explanation for you. Sister Butler's cousin was getting endowed today (temple covenants) in the Nauvoo temple, and she really wanted to be there. So we did a little switch-a-roo! We had P-day today, and we will have it again on Monday (in like one day)!

OKAY. SO. I have 78 emails. My plan is to try to send this mass one, respond to as many of you as possible, and then focus on reading and responding to emails on Monday. So if I don't respond to you today I'm sorry!!!!! There's just not enough time! :(

Funny/Awesome things that happened this week:

-Some girl came up to me at Pageant and was like "Hey!!! You're Natalie!!!!" And I guess she recognized me from Twitter! hahaha! Like, what??? So funny

-I gave a tour to a youth group that came in, mostly consisting of Tongan guys. Afterward they were all going nutso and taking selfies with me. It was hilarious. They were all shouting "No! My turn with Sister Pugmire!" I was laughing so hard. I wish I had the photos!

-I met Casey!!! i went to efy with him and it was so crazy/cool to see him again!!!

-I saw two guys I knew from BYUi!! I swear I see so many people I know or that know people I know. It's insane. But insanely AWESOME.

-We had the most HILARIOUS chats this week! Sister Butler and I were laughing so hard! We were chatting with three people from Mormon.org, and they were all trolling. One started out by asking "I heard Mormons can't eat chocolate on Tuesdays....is that true?" WHERE DO PEOPLE EVEN HEAR THESE THINGS?!?! hahahaha! The other questions weren't super mission appropriate, but were funny nonetheless.

And this, my friends, is why I've gained 15 pounds

Last night we didn't have Pageant so we went over
 the Hanson's for ice cream! Yum!





 

-A couple nights ago I saw a guy at Pageant with an A Day to Remember shirt on and I FREAKEDDDDD OUT and started screaming and he NEVER HEARD ME!!!! My comp had to tell me to calm down because I was running to him screaming hahahaha.

-I was called Meredith from Brave THREE times this week! I have never ever been called her before, but I mean she does have crazy red curly hair. It was funny. One girl was like "We're getting a tour from a Disney Princess!"

-One day, Sister Butler looked at the clock and exclaimed, "LAST TOUR'S IN 30 MINUTES" and started beat boxing while flailing her arms around in the air. To say the least, it has now become a thing. We do it all the time. It's fantastic.

 

-OH REMEMBER THAT EXCITING THING I TOLD YOU THAT WAS GONNA HAPPEN? WELL. IT HAPPENED. ELDER HOLLAND CAME TO NAUVOO!!!!! he was on a family vacation and spent an hour to talk to us!!! How nice, right??? he was on VACATION! Anyways, it was amazing. ELDER HOLLAND IS THE BOMB DIGGITY. He even let us ask him questions. GAH. (Elder Holland is one of the 12 apostles for the entire LDS church)

 

-A couple days ago Sister Mikolyski yelled "Sister Pugmire come here!!!!!" All our tours for the day were over, and she was sitting at the piano. She continued to play COME WHAT MAY FROM MOULIN ROUGE. Guys. GUUUUUYYYSSSSS. COME WHAT MAY FROM MOULIN ROUGEEEEEEEEEEEE. A tear may have fallen from the windows to my soul.
 

-In a tour I was talking about how the gospel literally connects ALL OF US. Doesn't matter where we live, or when we lived. The gospel is the same. And this woman came up to me after, with tears in her eyes, and said "Those were the words I was looking for." And then she walked away...WHAT EVEN IS MY MISSION! I literally talk to hundreds of people a day who WANT to listen to what I have to say. I wouldn't even be able to write down all of the cool things that happen every day in this hour and I half I have to email.
 



These are the YPMs in my mission! They are the ones who sing and dance and do all of the plays and everything. Somehow, we found this photo on our sister missionary email. I laughed so hard hahahaha



Hehe look what Hanna Walters did to their faces...whoops ;)
Edited version with Natalie heads Click to enlarge photo

Scriptures I ran into and loved this week:

 

ALMA 1:19, 21 --> The church will always be persecuted. Always. But the minute we retaliate is the minute we lose everything we stand for.

ALMA 1:26-30 --> This just makes me happy. It reminds me of something Max "Elder Whittle) told me. "Don't pray that you'll have to give to others after you take care of yourself, pray that you'll have enough for yourself after you give." Or...something like that. Anyways, I LOVE IT.

ALMA 5 --> This chapter is what I call the CHECK YO SELF chapter. It's intense. Read it.

ALMA 14:11 --> Why do bad things happen to good people? God let's people sin to ensure they will receive consequences. 

Something I've thought a lot about this week is this question: If you were truly humble...would you know it?

Also I've been thinking about happiness. Happiness isn't a religion. It's a perspective and state of mind that can sometimes be introduced, mothered, and decorated by religion, but is not owned by religion..or the Mormon faith in particular. I think sometimes we think that those who do not live up to "Mormon standards and values" can not in any possible way under the sun be happy, or have "true happiness." I think as members of the Mormon faith we tend to assume we are the only "truly" happy people on this planet. My mission has taught me otherwise. I LOVE teaching others, because it allows me to learn. The more I've been able to love and learn from different kinds of people, the more I've began to understand how relative things are. I love it. Of course, this gospel is the path God has outlined for His children. I get that. But a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father, and our unique personalities and passions play a huge role as well.

This week has been quite a reflective one. Nothing makes you reflect more than leaving your family, friends, and home to teach something that you can't prove. But, it's the best way to learn. And I love it. I love all the challenging questions I receive, and I love learning. As I've been here on my mission I've realized I am much more logical than I ever thought, and I've began to understand the satisfaction that comes when one obtains knowledge and understanding. Simply: life is good. 

I love my companion. Today we drove the river road, and blasted music. I don't think there's anything more therapeutic than that. Maybe kittens....but it's close.

Songs this week:

All I want- Kodaline

Rush of Blood- Coasts

Against the Tides- What Haunts You

I seriously do love you all so much. You have no idea. This world is crazy, and there is so much pain and so much violence and hate...but it's people like YOU that make everything worth it. It's in the little moments. It's in the silent smiles that come when the simplicity of it all just hits you. it's in everyone, and everything. You just have to look around you.

♥Sister Pugmire